Nose-guard.



v PATENTED MAY 16., 1905. LA. WILGOX.

NOSE GUARD. v APPLI'OATION Hmm Nov. 6i 1904.

www i Wiru'sssss- UNITED STATES Patented May 16, 1905.

PATENT GEEICE.

NOSE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,237, dated May 16, 1905. Application filed November 5, 1904. Serial No. 231,557.

To (LZL whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, FRANK ALBERT WILcox, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Jeannette, in the county of IVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented ordiscovered a certain new and useful Improvement in Nose-Guards, of which improvement the following is a specification.

My invention concerns the construction of nose-guards such as are worn by foot-ball players; and the object of my improvement is to render these nose-guards more durable.

My improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. which form part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front view in perspective of a nose-guard which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view in perspective of the same article. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line III III, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the mouthpiece, illustrating a modification from the form shown in Figs. 1 'to 3.

Parts which are repeated in the several figures bear the same reference-numerals in each case.

In configuration the nose-guard of the drawings is of familiar construction. It consists of a body portion 1, arched to surround and protect the nose of the wearer and perforated with breathing-holes 2, a fro'ntlet or foreheadrest 3, cheek-rests 4, to which a band 8 for encircling the head of the wearer is attached, a chin-rest 5, and a mouthpiece 6, provided with breathing-holes 7, which extend through the body of the guard itself.

Nose guards have heretofore been constructed in a single piece or with their component parts permanently secured together. In service the mouthpiece of these guards, which rests between the teeth of the wearer,

. is worn' out with comparative rapidity, and

while the remainder of the guard is still in good and serviceable condition it is discarded because the mouthpiece is worn away and the whole thus rendered useless.

My improvement consists in forming the mouthpiece as a separate and removable part of the article and in so connecting mouthpiece and body portion that a worn or dam-4 aged mouthpiece may be removed and replaced by a new one.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the body portion of the guard is cut away at a point opposite the mouth, and a mouthpiece so formed as to be removably retained in such opening is inserted therein. The mouthpiece consists of a central web 61, formed to lill the opening in the body portion of the guard and provided with heads 62 at either end, which extend laterally and engage the body portion adjacent to said opening. The outward-extending head may present an outer surface' continuous with the outer surface of the body portion of the guard, and the inward-extending head is adapted to enter the mouth of the wearer and to be held between his teeth. While it is preferable to form the entire mouthpiece of flexible material, it is essential to this form that one of the heads 62 thereof or the adjacent body portion be flexible, this for the purpose of insertion and removal.

The form shown in Fig. 4 differs from that of the other iigures only in the means of removably securing mouthpiece and body portion together. Instead of securing the parts by interlocking heads formed on the mouthpiece I form through the mouthpiece and through the body portion at adjacent points a hole 9, which when the mouthpiece is in place will be continuous, extending from side to side of the nose-guard, and through this hole. when `the parts are assembled I pass a pin. I preferably employ a pin of rawhide; but the material used is not essential to my invention.

A player using my improved nose-guardv having on hand additional mouthpieces may readily remove a damaged mouthpiece and replace it with a new one, whereas lacking my improvement an entirely new guard would be required.

Nose-guards which are generally in use are formed of rubber. I do not limit myself to any specific material; but I iind rubber the most serviceable for the vbody portion. The

material of which the mouthpiece is formed (in case the construction of Figs. 1 to 3 be employed) need only be elastic for insertion and removal', as already explained, and of course in any case an elastic material is pre- 'erred for holding between the teeth of the wearer. I have found rubber the best material for the mouthpiece, too.

I have shown and described my improvement in connection with a nose-guard of particular form. It will be understood that the form of the guard itself is immaterial to the invention. It is applicable to any guard of which a mouthpiece forms or may form part.

I claim as my invention.-

1. A nose-guard comprising a body portion and a mouthpiece and means for detachably securing the said parts together, substantially as described.

2. A nose-guard comprising a body portion, forehead and chin rests, a mouthpiece, and means for detachably securing said mouthpiece and body portion together, substantiall y as described.

3.' f Anose-guard comprising a body portion, and a mouthpiece detachably interlocking therewith, substantially as described. A

4. A nose-guard comprising a body portion provided with an opening and a mouthpiece adapted to detachablyinterlock with said body portion through said opening, substantially as described.

5. A nose-guard comprising a body portion provided with an opening, and a mouthpiece consisting of a central web and heads or enlargements at the ends thereof, the heads bearing upon opposite sides of the body portion adjacent to the opening therein, substantially as described.

6. A nose-guard comprising a body portion provided with an opening and a mouthpiece consisting of a central web and heads or enlargements at the ends thereof, the said heads bearing upon opposite sides of the said body portion adjacent to the said opening therein, and one of said heads being flexible, substantially as described. f

7. Asanew article of manufacture a mouthpiece for nose-guards having breathing-luissages therethrough and provided with lneans for interlocking with a nose-guard, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. l

FRANK ALBERT IVILCOX.

W itnesses:

BAYARD H. Cnins'rr, CHARLES BARNn'r'r. 

